


into the mystic

by nicknameking (wreckingtomlinson)



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel), Rules of Engagement (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Cruise Ships, Mostly fluff and smut, Multi, Phone Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:19:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wreckingtomlinson/pseuds/nicknameking
Summary: "What do you say, Boy Scout? You and me, on a luxury cruise ship, soaking up that Mediterranean sun for three months?"or, you and Jake just want to Have A Nice Time, Damnit, but one dramatic family keeps getting in the way.





	1. a ticket to another world

**Author's Note:**

> so, this was born from my combined love of cruises, traveling, and jake mckenzie. some clarification things before we start!
> 
> it is set in an alternate universe where you and the endless summer crew return from la huerta to a not-burning hartfeld u in january (because i started writing this before chapter 13 came out), and the rules of engagement cruise embarks that may. let's see how this writing in second person thing goes, yeah? i would have used third like i normally do but the name i gave my MC is Jay so i thought it'd be too confusing to be dealing with two JA-names all the time, ya feel? 
> 
> i don't think we know what MC studies, right? i gave him a criminal justice major because why not.
> 
> i will add tags as i update because a) i don't want to spoil too far in advance and b) i honestly don't completely know what's next. #oops
> 
> and all that said, this chapter is largely expositional (and i suck at exposition) but next chapter is where the adventure really begins!

It’s been a long five months, in more ways than one.

First, the reentry process was a struggle and a half. You were questioned, made to fill out four separate forms, and then subjected to a full medical exam and search. Apparently, while you were gone, suspicious emanations from the island had caught the attention of an Air Force Base in the Florida Keys, and as a result the island had been deemed unfit for life. You snapped at the guard patting you down, but he insisted he has to check every nook and cranny to make sure you aren’t radioactive or smuggling anything into the country. Grand.

Second, upon your return to Hartfeld, you discovered that because of the semester you missed,  you either had to take extra courses or wait until the end of the fall semester to graduate. There was no way you were going to watch your friends walk at graduation without you, so you took on the extra two classes.

Third, and worst of all, Jake was two thousand miles away in a hammock in Costa Rica. Yes, there were emails and videochats (via an encrypted network, thanks to Zahra. You pay her in coffee and laundry tokens) but it was never the same.

“Why can’t I fuck off to Costa Rica with you? I’d give anything for a tropical drink,” you told him one night, half-joking.

Jake just sighed. “Remember what I told you, Boy Scout? Get that degree. That’s something nobody can take away from you. You’re there, and you’re so close, so get the job done. Then, you come find me and I’ll make you all the cocktails you want. Promise?”

You promised, but you also found yourself dreaming about the last night you spent together in the tent, just before heading through the Lernaean Gate; when you woke up clutching your extra pillow to your chest, missing his warmth, you couldn’t help but feel a little pathetic.

It was even harder with your friends coupled up. Grace and Aleister, Craig and Zahra, Sean and Michelle...you either brought Diego along  and the two of you sat there awkwardly while the rest of them cozied up, or you hung out with them alone and felt like the most awkward seventh wheel in existence.

At least you could talk to Diego. Some nights you found yourself on the dorm roof, trying to locate the constellations you saw from La Huerta.

“Varyyn’s looking at a different sky,” Diego said, one warm night in March. “Remember how the constellations we saw on the island were different?”

“Yeah, but stars are still stars,” you pointed out. “Maybe they’re not the same exact ones, but, like. Space rocks, man.”

Diego gave you a watery smile. “Maybe the ones he sees are dead here. Or the ones I’m seeing are dead there.”

“There’s gotta be at least one star you’re both seeing.”

Your best friend sighed and said no more, so you took that as a hint to shut up while your mind drifted to Jake. What was he up to? Yeah, you talked once a week, but part of you couldn’t help but wonder if another guy or girl had stolen his heart since you parted ways.

You asked Quinn for advice. “He wouldn’t do that to you, Jay,” she said. “Lead you on. He always seemed like he said exactly what he was thinking all the time. I wouldn’t worry.”

It was her own way of basically calling you an idiot for worrying. When Jake’s face popped up on FaceTime, you answered with a smile.

“Hey, Top Gun.”

“Hey, Boy Scout.” He grinned at you, pushing his hair out of his face. He’d cut it since the last time you spoke, but it was still far from short. “It’s the end of April. You know what that means?”

“It means I never got to prank you for April Fool’s Day.”

“Yeah, and let’s keep it that way. What I was gonna say is, it means you graduate in like, two weeks.”

Shit. It hadn’t really registered yet, that you were about to graduate from college, but Jake’s reminder made the realization hit you like a bullet train.

“Oh, fuck. I’m graduating next month,” you muttered, thinking about the meeting requests you’d received from Hartfeld’s career counseling office and how you’d deleted every single one.

“Don’t sound so delighted.” Jake shot you a look you could feel through the screen. “Thought you said you wanted to visit.”

“I do! It’s just. The real world, you know? I don’t really wanna deal with that yet.”

Jake looked thoughtful, then gave you a tiny smile. You knew that smile. It meant  he was up to something. “Yeah, I get it. Tell you what. FaceTime me when you graduate. Doesn’t have to be that day, I know you’ll be with your family. But the day after. I’ll have something for you.”

“Of course I’m going to call you on the day. You know if you were here I’d have invited you.”

“I know.” Jake looked pained for a moment before his signature smirk was back. “Anyone around?”

“Nope.” You matched his smirk as you watched him shed his shirt. “I could get used to this view, you know.”

“Hey, play nice, Boy Scout, it’s your turn.”

The two of you stripped down to nothing, and you propped your phone up on your bedside table so he could see your naked form. You watched him shift around on his bed, trying to find a good angle for his phone, when you heard noise out in the hallway. A few hoots and hollers echoed from the living room.

“Raj is back,” you complained.

Jake grinned wickedly. “So? Lock your door and put your headphones on. Ain’t nothing stopping _me_ from being loud.” He set his phone down and stretched out, toned abs on display.

You groaned at the sight, but did as he asked. “Can you hear me?” you asked, your voice lowered to a whisper.

“Yeah, I can hear you. But you’re gonna keep quiet, aren’t you, Boy Scout? Let me do the talking tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah okay.”

“I literally just said to keep quiet.”

You blushed, but shut up.

“That’s more like it.”

You shut your eyes, teeth sinking into your lower lip as you fight to keep quiet, listening to him tell you, in great detail, what he’d do to you if he were there.

“...kiss down your chest all the way to your cock, but I won’t touch it. Nah, I’d spread your legs so I can skip to your inner thighs, I know how sensitive you are there. Maybe leave a couple marks, bite you to make sure you know you’re mine. By now you’re probably begging me to touch you, put my mouth on you. I ask you where, but before you can say anything, I—”

A loud knock on your door jolted you from your fantasy; you yanked your headphones out and yelled, “Just a minute!”

“Party on the roof!” Raj’s voice shouted back at you from the other side of the door. “Come on! I got Fireball!”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

You looked back at your phone to see Jake grinning at you. “You told Raj you were coming?”

“Shut up.”

“Go have fun, Boy Scout. Don’t want them to get suspicious.”

“They can wait a minute.” You stuck your earbuds back in and got a hand on yourself, watching Jake do the same on his end. Jake didn’t even have to say anything—just the thought of his voice, husky in your ear, whispering filthy fantasies, was enough to get you off, spilling over your hand.

“I don’t know if I should tease you for a lack of stamina or be impressed at how fast you got there,” Jake said with a laugh after he’d hit his peak too. “Now have some Fireball for me.”

You promised to do just that before hanging up and pulling your clothes back on and heading up to the roof to join your friends.

The mood was strangely sober, even with the presence of everyone’s favorite cinnamon whiskey. Even stranger, not a single one of your five roommates teased you about taking so long to join the party.

Raj and Diego sat on the floor by the edge of the roof, passing a blunt between them, while Quinn, Michelle, and Grace had all squeezed onto the one sofa and were looking at something on Quinn’s phone.

Grace spotted you first. “Hi, Jay!”

“Hey. What’s going on? I heard Raj yelling before but now everyone’s all quiet.” You took a seat on one of the lounge chairs next to Diego.

“We were having fun until Raj started talking about graduation.” Diego offered you the blunt. You shook your head.

“Oh. The impending real world crisis, huh?”

“Not for me,” Michelle said proudly. “I got into Stonedale for med school. I got the final decision today.”

“Hey, that’s awesome! Congrats,” you told her. Sure, you’d initially gotten off on the wrong foot on the La Huerta trip, but after you’d gotten past your preconceived notions of each other, you’d ended up pretty good friends.

“God, it feels great to get that decision.”

“So, like...what _are_ everyone’s plans after graduation?” you asked the group, suddenly realizing you’d never even broached the topic.

“I’m taking a year off before I go to grad school,” Grace said. Everyone looked at her in surprise.

“Your mom is letting you?” Raj asked.

Grace shrugged. “She doesn’t know yet.” She kept quiet after that admission.

Diego was the next to chime in. “I’ve been thinking about moving to Los Angeles. Don’t have much of a plan, but there’s gotta be somewhere I can use this communications degree out there, right?”

“In L.A.? Of course. You’ll find somewhere. Don’t you have cousins out there?” you asked.

“Yeah, so at least if i do make the move there’ll be family nearby. What about you, Raj, what are you doing?”

Raj shrugged. “I’m still looking at grad schools. There are some that accept applications up till the end of the summer, so maybe once we graduate I’ll look into those.”

That left just you and Quinn left to announce your plans. You glanced at her, and the blank look she gave you return told you you were both more or less in the same boat.

“I don’t know yet,” Quinn said. “I never...thought I’d be around this long, you know? Maybe I’ll actually try and open that bakery like I’ve always wanted. Jay?”

Five pairs of eyes turned to you. Their stares, though friendly, still felt too inquisitive. “I don’t know either.”

“Well, I know exactly what you’re going to do. You’re going to go find Jake,” Diego teased you, making the others laugh.

“Well—” You blushed, grinning in spite of yourself. “I will, but like, after that! I don’t know yet.”

“Use that criminal justice degree and launch a full investigation into that whole mess. Or better yet, go undercover yourself. Free your man,” Raj suggested, rolling another joint.

“You’re blushing!” Diego exclaimed with way too much delight, in your opinion.

“I am not!”

The tension from earlier evaporated as the six of you ribbed each other about respective significant others. For the rest of the night things felt normal.

The final weeks blew by in a flurry of senior week brunches, club nights, karaoke outings, and alumni cocktail parties, and before you knew it, graduation day was today.

You wake up early to the smell of coffee and the sound of Quinn humming to herself in the kitchen. When you emerge from your room, you see Raj with her, both of them bustling around the tiny kitchen like they’re on a Food Network show.

“Morning!” Raj calls to you, expertly flipping a pancake. He’s already wearing his cap and gown, but Quinn is still in sweats and a t-shirt.

“Cap and gown already?” you ask, sitting at the breakfast bar.

“I told him not to put it on yet in case he got anything on it,” Quinn tells you, rinsing some blueberries in the sink, “but he just said that blueberry stains wouldn’t show up since the gown is black. He does have a point.”

“It’s almost ready!” Raj announces, stacking some pancakes on a plate. “You want to wake everyone up, or shall I?”

“Be my guest. You know how hard it is to get Diego out of bed. Quinn, need any help?” you offer.

“Oh! If you could put the clean fruit in here to put out, that would be great!” She beams at you, nudging a clear glass bowl toward you. “It’s to share, like if someone wants blueberries on their pancakes or something.”

One by one, your friends trail into the kitchen and grab a plate, plopping themselves in their usual spots: Quinn in the armchair, Grace, Raj, and Diego on the sofa, and Michelle with you at the breakfast bar. With classes, work, and everything in between, it was rare that all six of you had mornings together. Today would most likely be the last.

The actual graduation ceremony feels like a dream. You sit, listening to a half dozen speeches that go in one ear and out the other, and the next thing you know, you’re standing at one of the stage, waiting for your name to be called.

“Jay Patrick Thomas!”

A smattering of cheers erupts from your friends, all seated in various sections of the crowd. You give the videographer a big grin and a thumbs up, diploma held high.

So this is graduation.

Seven hours later, after you’ve gone out to dinner with your family, the whole crew comes over to your place for a party of your own. Graduation regalia and suits and dresses have been traded for more comfortable attire suited to lounging around.

The whole crew is here: the five of your roommates, plus Craig, Sean, Zahra, Aleister, and even Estela. Drinks are flowing, bowls of chips and salsa are being passed around, and everyone has a smile on their face. The scene reminds you a little of the feast Raj prepared for everyone at the Celestial, early on in the adventure. This time, though, there’s a sense of sadness lingering in your mind, of knowing this might be the last time you’ll all be together like this. You try your best to push it aside and just focus on the present like Craig would tell you to do.

The familiar sound of an incoming FaceTime call drifts from your pocket, and with a glance at the screen you confirm it’s Jake. You excuse yourself onto the roof so you can talk in private.

“Boy Scout!” Jake exclaims, a warm smile on his face. “Look at you, all graduated and shit. Should I start calling you Eagle Scout now?”

“Yeah, hi to you too. But no. That’s just weird.”

“Fine, fine. You want to see what I got you?”

That’s right, he’d mentioned something over the phone a few weeks ago. You’d honestly forgotten until just now. “What do you think?”

Jake laughs, then reaches into his jacket. “You ready for this?”

“The suspense is killing me.”

He pulls something out of his inner pocket with a flourish and holds it in front of the camera. “Surprise!”

You squint at the screen. It looks like two small, rectangular pieces of paper, but that’s all you can see. He’s holding them too close to the camera for you to tell what they are. “What are they?”

“Oh, hang on.” He pulls them back, and the typed text comes into focus.

_Ember of the Sea_

_Jay Thomas_

_Stateroom 731A_

_20 May – 25 August 2018_

“If that’s what I think it is…”

“It is!” Jake waves the tickets one more time before pulling them back. He looks uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden. “I got them for us.”

“Jake. The _Ember of the Sea_ is _the_ luxury cruise ship. You really managed to get us on?” You don’t mean to ask so many questions, but you can’t help but think this has to be a dream. You’ve heard all about the ship—all the travel magazines and websites have been heralding it as the ultimate in luxury vacationing, the premiere European cruise. You don’t even want to think about the expense.

“I’ve got a buddy who owed me a favor.” His smile is starting to come back. “So, what do you say, Boy Scout? You and me, on a luxury cruise ship, soaking up that Mediterranean sun for three months?” He looks hopeful, brows raised and eyes bright.

  
“Of course! Yes, yes, yes!” you exclaim, pretending to blow him a kiss as the door open.

“Whoa, did I miss a proposal?” you hear Craig’s voice yelling.

“What kind of dumbass proposes over FaceTime?” hisses Zahra.

You raise your voice. “Hey! It’s Jake! Want to say hey?”

Craig is the first one to grab your phone away. Laughing, you let him, knowing they’re all just excited to say hello. Soon enough, the rest of your group finds their way up to the roof, and your phone is passed around for everyone to catch up. You step away from the hubbub, taking a seat at the corner of the balcony.

Diego finds you. “So what’s this about a proposal?”

“Ask Craig,” you tell him with a laugh. “Course he didn’t propose. Honestly I don’t even see that happening for a long time.” _If it happens at all_ , you add to yourself.

“Craig said you were yelling ‘yes, yes, yes.’”

“Oh! He got me something really cool,” you confide, dropping your voice to a whisper so the others can’t hear. Craig and Zahra are talking over each other at the moment so it’s unlikely you’ll be heard from this far away, anyway. “You know the _Ember of the Sea_?”

“That new cruise ship everyone’s talking about? Of course.”

“He managed to get us on. We’re gonna take a Mediterranean cruise over the summer.” Just saying it makes a bubble of excitement rise in your chest.

Diego’s jaw drops comically. “You and Jake. Are going on a cruise. To Europe? I’m so freaking jealous, you have no idea.”

“I know, right? He said he had a friend who owed him a favor, so...yeah, it’s happening.”

Quinn dashes over to you to hand your phone back. “I think Jake must be sick of us by now,” she says cheerily.

“I could never be!” Jake protests, sounding tinny from the phone. You tilt the phone so he can see you.

“You sure about that, Top Gun?”

“Well, could never get sick of _you_. These _Animal_ _House_ extras, maybe,” he teases. “Sounds like a great party. I’ll let you go. But let’s talk tomorrow, I’ll tell you the details of this thing. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Love you, Boy Scout.”

“Love you, too.” You hang up before Diego can start teasing you. “Not a word out of you.”

The party doesn’t even begin winding down until after one in the morning. One by one, your friends start saying their goodbyes, until it’s just you, Diego, Zahra, and Estela on the rooftop.

“So,” Estela begins after a few beats of silence. “Kill any giant crabs lately?”

“Thankfully, the closest we’ve come was some seafood medley platter thing Raj made back in February,” Zahra says with a laugh. “It was good, but I couldn’t stop thinking of those humongous crab legs you and Jay dragged back to eat.”

Estela turns to you. “I didn’t ask you yet, Jay. What are your plans for the summer?”

“Oh. Uh…” Well, now is as good a time as ever to start telling your friends the plan. “Jake and I are gonna go on a cruise.”

Zahra wolf whistles. “Get it!”

“Where are you going?”

“It’s three months in the Mediterranean. I don’t know the specifics, we were going to talk about it tomorrow.”

“I expect a kitschy keychain from every port. Or a postcard, at least,” Zahra insists.

You laugh. “Alright, alright, touristy shit from every port, got it. Should I be making a list of things to bring back?”

On that note, you all decide to head to bed.

The next day, after you’ve nursed your hangover as much as you can, you call Jake again to find out more about the cruise. You’ve got Jake on one half of your laptop screen, and a map of Europe on the other half.

“So, tell me where this thing is going?” you ask him.

“We embark from Dubrovnik, Croatia, and from there we hit all the major European ports. Venice, Santorini, Copenhagen, Valencia, Lisbon, Marseille, you name it. It even goes to Tallin and Riga, I’m pretty sure. Basically, if it’s on the water, we’re going. Not to mention, sometimes we’ll spend a few days in port and there’s day trips to inland cities. You’re gonna love it. You ever been to Europe?” It all comes out in one breath, and you realize just how excited he is for this.

“I did a semester in London two years ago, but I didn’t get to travel much outside of England. So this is all gonna be new to me. So where are we gonna meet?”

“I had an idea. Let’s meet the day before in Dubrovnik.”

“That eager to see me, huh?” you tease him.

He sticks his tongue out at you childishly. “Maybe. But also, it ain’t fun if you’re jetlagged _and_ on the water the first day. You gotta give your body a little time to get used to the new timezone.”

“And give my body a chance to get used to _you_ again.”

“You want some wine to go with all that cheese?” he deadpans, which has you dissolving into laughter.

“But seriously,” you say once you’ve calmed down, “I’ve never been on a cruise. How do I...prepare?”

Jake lights up, and he launches into a monologue detailing how to pack and what there is to do onboard. It really is a marvel that a ship carrying 12 restaurants, a casino, 3 nightclubs, and 3 pools, among other amenities, can float. Science, man.

By the end of his spiel, it feels like your head is spinning. “So...I’m just gonna ask for a map when I get onboard, right?”

Jake rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Calm down, Boy Scout. There’ll probably be a tour right before we embark. We’ll find all the good bars, don’t you worry. But listen, I got a paddleboard rental calling my name. You wanna talk again before Saturday?”

“Saturday?”

“...Be in Dubrovnik by Saturday.” _Oh. Duh_. “And download WhatsApp, ‘cause international charges are gonna be a bitch.”

“Love you.”

“Love you. Miss you.” He winks, then ends the call.

Saturday is five days away, which means one thing.

You need to start packing right now.


	2. let me take you away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 77 years later i finally updated, yippee! this one's short but the next one will most likely be longer, or so i'm hoping. title for his chapter is from unpredictable by 5 seconds of summer. enjoy! x

Five days later, your plane touches down in Dubrovnik. Fucking finally. You’d had a quiet seatmate on the flight to Zurich, but between Zurich and Dubrovnik, your neighbor was way too chatty. And way too flirty. From what you’d gathered, she was visiting a friend in Croatia, and they were planning to take a weeklong vacation around eastern Europe. But she kept touching your arm and leaning close to you, all basic signs of interest according to Michelle’s copies of  _ Teen Vogue _ , so after an hour of polite listening, you’d had to tell her you were taken.

“Oh.” She pouted. “Do you have a picture of her?”

“Actually...” You pulled out your phone to show her a photo of you and Jake. It was taken at the Elysian Lodge, while the crew spent a few days resting up after the Arachnid pursuit. You’re sprawled out on the sofa together, with you sitting between his legs, back against his chest, and his chin hooked over your shoulder. It’s very sweet and very candid—you hadn’t even known Quinn took the photo until she showed you later. 

The girl next to you just nodded. “He’s hot.” After that, she hardly spoke to you, making her previous intentions clear. You leaned your head against the window and dozed off. 

When you finally step off the plane and head toward baggage claim, you pull out your phone to text Jake and ask where he is. He hadn’t said he’d meet you at the airport, so you assumed he had a hotel room or something. While you’re looking at your phone, arms are suddenly thrown around your waist.

“Hey, Boy Scout.”

“Jake!”

He’s standing right in front of you, for the first time in five months, and he look just as you remember him—only better. He seems like he’s glowing, the months in the tropical sun giving him a warm tan and a relaxed smile, blue eyes soft at the corners. You can’t resist a proper hug this time, burying your face in his neck. Laughing, he stumbles back under your weight, hands carding through your hair. “Yeah, I missed you too.”

“God, I can’t believe we’re really gonna do this.” You drag your suitcase off the belt and follow Jake out to the taxi stand. “So we’re staying here tonight, and the ship leaves tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Come on, let’s get to the hotel and we’ll go over all that stuff.”

“Hotel?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s a real swanky one. Just wait and see.” He winks, and you know he’s up to something. 

Jake hails a taxi and speaks to the driver in halting Croatian for a minute before he begins driving off.

“What did you tell him?” you ask. “And since when did you speak Croatian?”

“Since I looked up a few phrases on the plane ride over,” he admits.

“How many languages do you know?”

“Huh.” His brow furrows. “English, Spanish, French, a little Russian, a little Arabic. I don’t know, I pick them up pretty easy.”

Well. You think you might remember some French from high school, but you probably couldn’t get around by yourself on it. “That’s kind of hot, you know.”

“Oh yeah?” Jake quirks a brow at you as the driver comes to a stop.

“This is The Hyperion,” the driver announces in heavily-accented English. “Welcome to Dubrovnik.”

“The Hyperion?” You can’t place why, but the name rings a bell. 

“Come on.” Jake opens the door and offers a hand. You crawl out and look up at the front of the hotel.

It’s a pretty facade, not garishly ornate but with local flavor that reminds you of the way houses are built into the cliffs in the region. And underneath the giant letters spelling out the hotel’s name—

“This is a  _ Rourke International  _ property?” You gape. “Jake, this isn’t a trap, is it?”

“Nope. I might have badgered Aleister into pulling some strings for us...he felt bad and he hates Rourke. Worked out perfectly.” Jake lets go of your hand to pull your suitcase from the trunk.

You’re starting to wonder just how many favors Jake called in for the two of you to take this vacation. Whatever, you certainly won’t question it. You take your suitcase from him and wheel it through the main doors.

Inside, the lobby screams luxury. Under your feet is black marble, so shiny you’re afraid to even step on it, and sharply-dressed tourists sit on sleek, modern couches. Your old faded jeans and maroon t-shirt make you feel underdressed.

“You look like a trout.”

You whirl around to see Jake standing behind you, biting his lip like he’s trying not to laugh. “I did tell you it was swanky. Was I right or was I right?”

“Swanky is one word for it.”

“Wait till you see the room.”

If the room is anything like the lobby, you’re looking at more luxury than you’ve seen in your entire life. And to think this is only the beginning of your vacation. 

While Jake checks in, you sit down on one of the couches and look at the newspapers lying on the table. One is in German, one is in English, and the last is in Croatian. You pick up the English one— _ The Dubrovnik Times _ , it declares in large letters at the top—and skim the front page.

Smack in the middle of the page is a full-color photograph of the Ember of the Sea, accompanied by an article that takes up most of the front. Interesting. 

Jake walks over to you, brandishing two room keys. “What’d you find?”

“Look.” You show him the paper. “It’s a real big deal, I guess.”

“Well, tomorrow we’ll get to see if it lives up to expectations. Ready to go to the room?”

Are you ever. You grab your bag and follow Jake up to your fifth-floor room.

It’s just as modern as the lobby, all clean lines and practical furniture, but still has that five-star feel. “Holy shit.” You drop your bag and make a beeline for the sliding doors. The doors lead out to a private balcony with a picture-perfect sea view. On the water, sailboats dot the horizon, and you can see houses and other buildings perched on the hillsides. “Fuck, this is amazing.”

“You like it?” Jake appears behind you, slinging an arm around you. “It’s supposed to be really romantic and stuff. Sorry I couldn’t get wine and chocolate delivered to the room.”

“Shut up.” You knock your elbow against his side. “You got me tickets to a three-month cruise. I think I can survive one night without chocolate.”

You just stand there for a moment, taking in the view. It still feels surreal, as though you’re going to wake up back in your dorm at Hartfeld and have class the next day. 

“So,” Jake says, breaking the silence after a minute. “It’s a little after four in the afternoon. You want to rest, or go out, or go over cruise stuff?”

You shrug. “I’m not really tired, but I don’t feel like going out right now. Cruise stuff?”

“Yeah, of course.” He takes your hand, leading you into the small living area in the room and pulling a folder from his backpack.

“Look at you, all organized,” you tease him. “Pick up from tricks from Grace?”

“Michelle, actually. So,” he goes on, opening the folder and laying it flat on top of the coffee table, “here’s a map with the itinerary. They said it could change based on weather and other stuff, but here’s a list of ports that are definitely guaranteed. Now, if you ask me, the order makes no sense, but I guess they gotta fill three months somehow, even if it’s by passing Marseille four times before we actually dock. But hey, I ain’t complaining if it means I get to spend all summer with you.”

You start leafing through some of the papers. He really thought of everything—there’s a printed map of the ship, a few pages listing the onboard dining options, another packet detailing the entertainment and bars, and even a few sample menus from the restaurants. “God, there’s so much to do  _ on _ the ship, it’s a good thing we have three months.”

“How much you want to bet we’ll be sick of some of this stuff by the end of the summer?” he teases, plucking the menu for the steakhouse out of your hands. “I mean, there’s only so much steak one person can eat.”

Your stomach rumbles just then. “Great, now I’m hungry. I didn’t really eat on the plane…”

“You want to go get food? There’s a restaurant right here in the hotel if you don’t wanna go too far.”

“Perfect. Just let me jump in the shower real quick. I feel like I have all kinds of plane germs on me.”

It’s supposed to be a five-minute shower, but Jake joins you soon after and it turns into a half hour of steaming up the mirrors, and when you’re done you’re even hungrier than before. Tying a towel around your waist, you head back out into the bedroom to sift through your suitcase for something suitable to wear to dinner. 

“Is it a fancy place?”

Jake shrugs, dropping his towel and sauntering over to the closet. “Probably not  _ super _ fancy, but I’d skip the ripped jeans, probably. I’m wearing what I always wear.”

“Damn, I wanted to see you dress up again,” you tease him, thinking back to how good he looked at the New Year’s Eve party. Hopefully the cruise would offer plenty of opportunities for him to break out the formalwear again.

Dinner, you would recall later, was divine. You couldn’t pronounce the name of the dish if you tried, but it was a cluster of small veal steaks stuffed with ham and cheese, breaded and fried to perfection. Then there was the red wine Jake ordered, and you’d ended up splitting the bottle and leaving three hours later pink-cheeked and antsy.

It’s only eight o’clock when you stumble into the room giggling and clinging to Jake’s arm, which is plenty of time to go out and explore the nightlife but when you mention as much to Jake, he shakes his head with a laugh and guides you to the bed. 

“Shhh, you’re drunk,” he informs you, his slurred words a testament to his own state. “Don’t wanna set sail hungover and shit. Gotta—gotta enjoy it.”

“Jetlag,” you reply, as if that makes perfect sense, flopping onto the bed still fully dressed. You’re asleep before your head hits the pillow.

~

You wake up the next morning with a fuzzy head and a dry mouth, groaning and squinting at the sun streaming in the sliding door. Judging from the sound of running water coming from the bathroon, Jake is already up and about. 

You roll over and check the time on your phone. Just after eight in the morning. 

“Fuck, I slept for twelve hours?” you ask no one. At least your body feels a little more accustomed to the change in time by now.

Jake emerges from the bathroom just then, shaving cream covering half his face. “Morning, Boy Scout. Or should I call you Sleeping Beauty now?”

“Hey, I was jetlagged!”

“Sure, sure.”

You follow Jake back into the bathroom, nudging him over so you can share the sink. “What time do we embark?”

“We embark at three in the afternoon, but we have to be at port at ten.”

  
“Why so early?”

Jake finishes shaving and starts rinsing off his face. “Gives everyone time to board. I mean, there are a few thousand people to get situated so it’s gonna take some time. So we’ll get there, check in, go through security, and then go to lunch. Then there’s a tour of the ship while they take our bags to the cabin, and then we’re off.”

Up to this point, the cruise had seemed like a surreal plan, like something so far in the distance you never thought you’d actually reach. But now here you are, bags packed and ready to go. All that’s left to do is leave the hotel.

You’re both dressed and out of the room in a half hour. Jake drops the room key in the express checkout box in the lobby and hails a cab, again speaking to the driver in labored Croatian, but it seems to get the job done. A half hour later, he’s stopping and you can see the ship docked.

The  _ Ember of the Sea _ looks bigger than any cruise ship you’ve ever seen, all gleaming white and dotted with portholes and private balconies. You can make out the upper deck where the pool must be, and an outdoor restaurant on the starboard side.

Jake pokes you. “Earth to Boy Scout.”

“Holy shit,” you reply rather eloquently. Jake snorts out a laugh, looking up at the ship with you.

“She really is something,” he mutters. There’s a note of wanderlust in his voice, something that tells you he can hardly wait to embark.

“Come on, let’s check in.”

Once you’ve bypassed the security check, you line up behind a woman who seems to be in her mid-twenties with brown hair tied to the side in a braid. The perky blond crewmember greeting everyone as they board seems like he’s a little wind-up toy, rattling off greetings and waving people aboard with a mechanized enthusiasm. He’s loud, too, so loud you can hear every word he’s saying to the girl checking in in front of you.

“Welcome to the  _ Ember of the Sea _ , the pinnacle of luxury cruise ships. Are you ready to embark on the summer of a lifetime?” he rattles off in one rehearsed breath. “Let me help you with your bags, Miss…?”

“Ashleigh,” she tells him.

The crewmember gasps, almost comically. “Ashleigh? You’re part of the group Mr. Singh has been waiting for. Right this way. From what I hear, you’re about to get some  _ very _ interesting news.” 

He leads her away, up a separate set of stairs, leaving you and Jake standing there waiting for him to come back.

“Bye, I guess,” you say, waving after the pair.

Jake quirks a brow. “Well, that was weird. Think we’re about to get some  _ very interesting news _ too?”

But before you have to wait too long, another crewmember rushes out to take the blond’s place. He’s redheaded, but has the same wind-up toy mannerisms. You can’t help but bite back a laugh and hope you can pass it off as enthusiasm.

“Welcome to the  _ Ember of the Sea _ , the pinnacle of luxury cruise ships. Are you ready to embark on the summer of a lifetime?” he rattles off in one rehearsed breath. 

“Well?” Jake nudges you with his elbow. “Are we?”

You laugh, looking back to the crewmember. “Are we ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you for reading! visit me on tumblr at [nicknameking](http://nicknameking.tumblr.com)
> 
> UPDATE 2 march 2018: as of today, this work is officially on HIATUS. i recently took on a massive fic for another fandom and that's been taking all my attention, so this won't be updated for quite some time. i apologize to everyone for making you wait, but i don't want to dash out half-assed chapters, ya feel? i hope you understand!

**Author's Note:**

> woo! thank you so much for reading! come find me on [tumblr](http://nicknameking.tumblr.com) if you are so inclined~


End file.
